Thats a good question, and we have the good news answer for you.  In today's world of voiceovers the trend is toward natural, everyday voices, the likes of someone who might be your neighbor, friend, or a person who you can really relate to.  Just listen to the radio, or an audiobook and you will hear “normal everyday” people.  You will hear voices of people who could be your friend, your neighbor, or even you!  Finding success in today’s voice acting market seems to be more an issue of having the proper tools, knowing how to use them, and then following through, rather than having that unmistakable voice that is more reminiscent of the voiceover world from days past.

Remember this is a business, and as such you must treat it like one. Having a successful voice acting business means having a set of well developed tools that you know how to effectively use in the areas of...

• Voice Acting Technique (how to perform as a professional voice actor)
• Marketing (how to effectively find voice acting jobs and then successfully audition for them)
• Home Studios (how to create a proper home studio and use it for practice, auditions, and actual paid work) 

Think about this for a moment...

• Think about how many commercials will be played today on the radio stations of your local area, your state, your region, and the entire United States. There are many many thousands of commercials being created weekly around the US.
• Now think about audiobooks for a moment.  Think about how many popular books there are that have yet to be converted to audiobooks.  We are talking about hundreds of new audiobooks yet be made. And... of course there are new books coming out every day that also need to be performed by a professional voice actor.
• Now think about how many businesses have professionally recorded voicemail systems and message on holds systems.  We are talking about tens of thousands of them and many of these need to be updated regularly.
• Now think about all the toy, video game, airport, grocery, and retail store voiceovers that you hear on a daily basis.  We are talking about many many thousands more.

We could go on and on.  So, is there enough work out there?  Yes, there is plenty of work.  Now, is it competitive? Of course, just like most other businesses, it is somewhat competitive.  The good news is that there are differing amounts of competition at different levels of the voice acting business.  If you are competing for the big national jobs like being ”the voice” of a given national chain, then sure the competition is stiff and rightfully so.  One of these jobs can pay you nearly enough to supplement a large portion of your annual income. But what about regional jobs?  Local jobs?  How about smaller publishers of audiobooks versus the mega publishers?  There is much less competition for these types of jobs.  What does this mean for you?  It means that if you have the needed tools, then it is very possible to build your momentum in the the voice acting business.  Once you have the needed education, you will know where to look for work at varying levels and how to best go about being the voice actor chosen for a given job.  The national jobs are achievable for any voice actor, and we encourage you to shoot for the stars, but at the same time keep your feet on the ground with local and regional work.

More good news for you.  Recent advances in internet and recording equipment technology make it possible to work from just about anywhere for employers located just about anywhere as well.  The vast majority of VO work is now produced from small home studios, and then delivered via the internet.  Setting up a small home studio has never been easier or more affordable.  Our graduates will tell you that with the help and continued support of VFA, you can easily be practicing, auditioning, and working from your own home.

Voice acting is very fun, rewarding, and can be very lucrative. We however, do not recommend quitting your day job while you grow your voice acting business. The good news is, that with spending just a few hours per week, you can grow your voice acting business into something quite lucrative. It is possible to become a full time voice actor, but it takes drive, determination, consistency, and time. There are voice actors who make a very good full time living.  Can you make a full time living from voice acting?  Well that is up to you, it is possible, but most people do it as a source of additional income and have a great time doing it. 

A home studio certainly increases your ability to get work, it allows you opportunities to audition, practice, and actually work from your home.  So, yes, VFA recommends having one.  If you have a fairly current home computer, chances are that you can complete your home studio for well under a thousand dollars, and be capable of making very good quality recordings.  The real answer however, is that no you do not need a home studio to start you voice acting business. 

Now, just because we recommend having a home studio does not mean that you should go out today to your local music store and buy a whole bunch of gear.  That would be putting the cart before the horse.  First, start with education and training.  Then the development of your marketing plan and materials, and as much learning and industry research as possible.  You will know when it is time to create your home studio, and by then you will know much more about what you may want to purchase. 

VFA uses and recommends Digidesign Pro Tools, it is the industry standard.  Having an employer see that you have a home studio that uses Pro Tools can only help you. There are many different software systems available to record your voice and “technically” many of them will work.  However, when there is one real industry standard software system for the recording industry, then we see no reason not to use that very one.  We also know Pro Tools to be one of the most versatile systems, and contrary to popular belief, one of the least expensive of the “real” studio software systems available.  Now, before you go out and buy your Pro Tools system please read our answer to “Do I really need to have a home studio?”

There are many recording programs out there.  However, VFA uses and recommends Digidesign Pro Tools, it is the industry standard.  Technically sure, other programs work, but to us it usually makes no sense to not use Pro Tools. Don't forget, some software might be free, but the hardware, the interface you plug your microphone into, is not.  The interface that houses the analog to digital converter for your sound is a very important part of the quality of your recordings.

The short answer here is no.  Most software programs work on both platforms.  VFA recommended Digidesign Pro Tools is available for both Mac and PC as well.  Having said that, VFA does recommend Apple computers because they are easier to use and maintain in general.  However, if you have a qualifying Windows PC, we would not recommend you scrap it and buy a new Mac if it isn't necessary.  You should put together your home studio for high sound quality, and that doing anything else that is not instrumental to the sound quality, as long as it is not a hinderance in your use of the studio, is best to wait and find out if you really need to invest more down the road.  The bottom line is, if your PC works, use it.

To be competitive you need to have a top quality demo.  A demo that showcases your strengths and hides your weaknesses. If your demo is that, then maybe you can use it.  You need to find an industry professional who can give you an honest opinion.

For most voice actors the majority of time is spent in the home studio.  This is because using the internet you can find work that is not just in your local area.  And sometimes even if the work is local, it is more cost effective for the employer to have you record at home, which helps to do more on a limited budget.